UPDATE: Winona Lake man hospitalized after trench collapses

December 06, 2009|STAFF REPORT

A Winona Lake man was taken to the hospital in critical condition after he was trapped in a 6-foot-deep trench for several hours Saturday afternoon. The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department said Jim Nichols, 36, was working with Donnie Hamby, 48, of Pierceton to install a drainage pipe in a cultivated bean field near the area of 800 South and 700 East. Hamby told police he was operating a small backhoe and had about 100 feet of trench dug when a trench wall collapsed, trapping Nichols. Firefighters from several area departments were called just after 4 p.m. to rescue Nichols. He was airlifted to Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne. Police said Nichols was conscious when rescued, but was suffering from hypothermia and was in critical condition. According to Parkview Memorial Hospital, Nichols is in critical condition as of Sunday morning.